Sharing, Caring, Helping, Protection and Cooperation by Mindfulness and Right Understanding.

13 December 2012

QA and Dhamma Discussion with Overseas Disciple - 03

Teaching of Thabarwa Sayadaw U Ottamasara

Question and Answer and Dhamma Discussion with

Overseas Disciple

3rd September 2012

Part - Three

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KKL:I
personally believe that we can make donations only when we have capacity to
donate.That is the reason why we have
to work hard to earn money in order to donate. May I know your opinion please?

Sayadaw:In
reality, you can do good deeds as long as you have strong determination.It is immaterial whether you are carrying out
your created actions (endeavours) or doing good deeds, as long as you have
strong determination, you will surely be able to do them (if you have will, you
have ways).

The perception of 'one can do good deeds only
when one has capacity and capabilities to do so' is not the complete perception
as it pays central emphasis only on 'having or not-having'.

In reality, you should pay central emphasis
on the cause (effort), 'doing or not-doing'.

If you have good 'cause' in mind or if you
place central emphasis on good 'cause', you surely can do good actions or good deeds.It also does not matter whether you are rich
or poor, you still can do good deeds if you have strong determination to do so.

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In terms of studying, you study without
knowing whether you will become learned (academic) one day but you keep on
studying just because you have strong determination to do so.

In terms of doing business, you hop into the
business weagon without knowing whether you will be successful one day but you
keep on working so hard just because you have strong determination to do so.

In terms of seeking medical treatments, you
spend tons of money on the best specialists, medicines and medical treatments
without knowing whether your illness or disease can be cured but you keep on
seeking treatments till you have nothing left to sell (penniless) just because
you are willing to do so.

Those examples show that if you have strong determination
to do something, you can, you surely can do it.

Similarly, in terms of doing 'dana', if you
have will, you surely can do it.It is
more important for you to have will and determination to do 'dana' or good
deeds.

Because our understandings are not complete
(conclusive), we tend to centre our attention on 'having' capacity and
capabilities to do good deeds.For this,
we work even harder to earn more money in order to donate. Along the way, we
become sickly and die without even be given any chance to do significant good
deeds.Instead, we accumulate bad kamma
(akusala) as side effect.

Our conventional understanding of 'dana' is
not so accurate and correct.Hence, the
'dana' as you traditionally understand does not encourage you to abandon your
desire and actions (endeavours) to earn more money.

Likewise, no matter how much you observe
'sila' in conventional way, you still unable to abandon all your physical and
oral actions.One good example is those
who take precepts in traditional way.These
people tend to take pride in how many precepts they can take or how long they
can take how many precepts.It shows
that these people place central emphasis on 'doing' (taking precepts) without
abandoning other actions beyond the precepts that they take, e.g. saying this
and that, talking about this and that, etc while taking those precepts.

Observing 'sila' according to your
understanding might not be the real and correct way of observing 'sila'.

In terms of practicing meditation according
to your knowledge, no matter how much you concentrate or contemplate on or how
long you have been practicing meditation, if you still cannot abandon your
thoughts, worries, angers, frustrations, doubts, suspicions, greed, etc
(actions of mind), your ability of practicing meditation, concentration and
contemplation can still be considered as your ability of 'doing actions'.

As long as you cannot abandon the other
actions of your mind, the meditation that you practice might not help you to
achieve your ultimate goal of enlightenment and might not help you to attain
insight wisdom.

The real and genuine 'sila' is abandoning
power to all physical and oral actions and 'bhavana' is abandoning power to all
mental actions ... an abandoning power to all the actions of your mind and this
must always be your understanding.One
the other hand, it should also be called as abandoning traditional
understanding and embracing on more complete understanding.

By doing so, your mind power of abandoning
will gradually be improved and reached to the fullest.Your ability of 'doing-only' will eventually
be improved.

If you place emphasis on 'doing' actions, only
your mind power of 'doing' actions will be increased.

Daily activities to participate ….

ThaBarWa Centre or ThaBarWa Yeiktha is an ideal place for learning and practicing meditation as well as for helping others who have physical and mental limitations and difficulties.

Our center takes care of everybody, regardless of age, race and religion, who cannot support themselves and survive on their own due to various reasons and at the same time teaching them how to meditate and purify their mind.

The population of our centre is more than 2,500. By staying at our centre, you will have plenty of chances to experience and participate in the following activities …

1. Following the monks in their daily alms rounds and helping in distributing the alms food to infirm, old folks and meditators.

2. Taking care of and assisting infirm or old folks with their chores.

3. Visiting branches of ThaBarWa Centres (across Myanmar).

4. Learning Burmese culture and the people.

5. Attending insight meditation session and classes.

6. Helping in the kitchen, cooking and distributing food.

7. Helping in the health care, in the clinics and wards.

8. Helping in the library.

9. Assisting Venerable with management, IT and technology.

10. Visiting the mercy villages which were established (by ThaBarWa) for homeless and needy families and individuals.

11. Sharing your language, IT and technology knowledge and expertise with adults and Children of our centre.

Sayadaw Ashin Ottamasara

Please click the photo to visit Sayadaw's facebook

Biography

Sayadaw Ashin Uttamasara was born in Katha, Sagaing Division, Myanmar on Sunday 26th October 1969.

Since his youth he placed full value on education. He passed Matriculation in 1986 with flying colors. After completing a B.A (English, Honors) from the University of Yangon in 1992, he became a young entrepreneur and successful businessman within a short period of time.

Faced with difficulties and frustrations in running a complex business for 7 years, he sought refuge in the Dhamma in 1999. With the help of a Dhamma friend, he entered the Mogok Meditation Centre at Insein Monastery for a five-day meditation retreat, becoming initiated in Dhamma contemplation and practice.

From February 1999 to January 2002 he deeply concentrated on meditation. He became so devoted to Dhamma that he was able to reduce his business calmly, without much attachment.

For the propagation of Dhamma he donated all the assets he had accumulated during 6 years of entrepreneurship. He then concentrated on charity, morality and insight contemplation to find the perfect Truth.

In 2002, he was ordained in Yangon by Sayadaw U Nayyasagara and started to teach Vipassana Insight Meditation.

Today, Sayadaw teaches Dhamma and Guided Vipassana Insight Meditation in various institutions, schools, hospitals and individual residences in Myanmar and other countries.

Sayadaw remains a well-known name throughout the shores of Myanmar and beyond.

Thabarwa is a place for everyone!!

Thabarwa Center is a non-profit humanitarian organization working for a noble cause.

We provide a home sweet home for everybody (both for locals and foreigners alike), unconditionally.

We open 24 hours a day, seven days a week without recess.

The activities of Sayadaw Ashin Uttamasara and Thabarwa Center are wide and various, serving the spiritual and physical needs of thousands from far and near.

More and more visitors from all over Myanmar and abroad are coming daily to visit, learn meditation and volunteer their skills and time in caring for those taking refuge at Thabarwa Center.

Good deeds at Thabarwa

• Providing refuge not only for meditators but also for the old aged, homeless, orphans, loners, infirm and the people with physical and mental difficulties.

• Currently more than 2,500 people (as of October 2015) taking refuge at our centre.

• Providing health care, food, clothing, shelter, clean water for cooking and drinking, etc. and offering aids and support for free of charge.

• Solving day to day problems of centre residents, meditators, volunteers and visitors.

• Communicating and cooperating with volunteers, charities, non-profit organizations and philanthropists from Myanmar and abroad.

• Conducting daily Vipassana Insight Meditation and Dhamma Talks.

• Conducting retreats in the traditions of renowned vipassana meditation masters. All the meditation methods are being utilized without attachment to any particular method.